Milwaukee Admirals Gameday Information
May 6, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Milwaukee Admirals News Release
Admirals vs. Houston Aeros
West Division Finals, Game 5
Friday, May 6, 2011
7:35 pm at the Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Aaron Sims broadcast on 1250 WSSP begins at 7:15
Game 1 - at Milwaukee 3, Houston 1
Game 2 - Houston 2, at Milwaukee 0
Game 3 - Milwaukee 5, at Houston 3
Game 4 - at Houston 3, Milwaukee 2 (OT)
Game 5 - May 6 - Milwaukee at Houston, 7:35
*Game 6 - May 8 - Houston at Milwaukee, 5:00
*Game 7 - May 10 - Houston at Milwaukee, 7:00
OVERALL ¬Â¦
The Admirals and Aeros play game five of the West Division Finals tonight, after the Houston evened the series at two with a 3-2 OT win last night at the Toyota Center. Milwaukee finished the regular season with 102 points and earned the first seed, while Houston was close behind the Ads in second with 98 points. This is the ninth consecutive season the Ads have qualified for the post-season and the 31st time in 34 years that Milwaukee has hit the ice in the playoffs. Including Thursday's game the team's all-time playoff record stands at 99-127 and since joining the AHL in 2001 the Admirals have tallied a 53-41 mark with a 23-22 record on the road.
SERIES SO FAR...
The Admirals took a 3-1 win over the Aeros in game one of the series on Friday night. Milwaukee picked up goals by Steve Begin and Taylor Beck just 41 seconds apart in the first period to jump out to an early lead while Jeremy Smith made 25 saves in the win. Then in game two Houston goalie Matt Hackett turned aside all 21 shots thrown his way to earn his first shutout of the playoffs. Warren Peters and Colton Gillies lit the lamp for Houston. In game 3 on Tuesday, Milwaukee scored three straight goals to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead and then answered a pair of third period goals from Houston with two of their own to earn a 5-3 victory. Last night in game 4 the Aeros outshot the Ads 33-13, but Milwaukee was still able to push the game into overtime before Carson McMillan won it for Houston at 3:35 of OT. Andreas Thuresson and Aaron Johnson tallied for the Admirals.
WORKING OVERTIME ¬Â¦
For the first time this series the Admirals and Aeros needed extra time to determine a winner. However, it was already the fourth game this post-season that has gone behind extra time for the Ads. Three of those four games have taken place on the road and they are 2-2 in OT, which includes a 3-2 double-overtime win in game 6 of the first round that gave Milwaukee the series win. The four OT games are the most in one post season for the Admirals since they had seven in 2003-04 on their way to the Calder Cup Championship. Since joining the AHL the Ads have compiled a 12-6 overtime record.
SHOT DOWN ¬Â¦
While Milwaukee managed to push the game into overtime last night, it certainly wasn't because of the number of shots they took. The Admirals managed just 13 shots the entire game, which was one less than Houston had in the first period alone. The Ads were outshot in each period and finished the game with a 33-13 shot discrepancy. The 13 shots also set a team record for fewest shots in a playoff game, breaking the old mark of 16, set last season on April 26 in a 2-1 loss to Chicago.
STATS AND STUFF ¬Â¦
All-time in game number five the Admirals are 14-16, including a 4-6 mark since joining the AHL. Milwaukee has won their last three game fives, including a 2-1 OT win over Texas in the West Division Semifinals. Ironically the Admirals are 2-9 in series when they have won game five, but they are 4-4 when they lose game 5. The Ads are 3-6 lifetime when tied at two games apiece in a series.
FINDING HIS TOUCH ¬Â¦
Admirals forward Andreas Thuresson tallied another goal for the team last night, his second in as many games and his third of the post-season. Thuresson is fourth on the team with six points (3g-3a) in the playoffs, including a pair of mulit-point games. The Kristianstad, Sweden native finished the regular season with 14 goals and 24 assists in 76 games with the Admirals, his fourth year with the team.
LET IT BEGIN ¬Â¦
In 36 games with the Admirals during the regular season Steve Begin didn't have a multi-point game and had six points (3g-3a). However, in the first three games of the series with Houston, Begin has almost matched those numbers, posting five points (2g-3a), including a three-point night to help guide the Ads to a game 3 win. The Trois Riverios, QE native, who missed much of the regular season due to injury, is a veteran of over 485 NHL games and won the AHL Playoff MVP award with the St. John Flames in 2001.
POWER STRUGGLES ¬Â¦
The Admirals finally got off the schnide, scoring a power-play goal last night on their third attempt after going 0-for-16 to start the series with Houston. The Admirals began the playoffs with good success on the power-play, scoring four times in their first 16 opportunities through the first four games. However, the Ads have struggled in their last six contests, earning just the one marker in 23 opportunities with the man-advantage. The Admirals ended the regular season with the seventh best power-play in the league at 19.7 %.
ITS YOUR THANG ¬Â¦
Admirals forward Ryan Thang continued his strong offensive play in game 3, scoring a goal and adding an assist to give him eight points in the post season (4g-4a), which is third best on the team. At + 11 the Edina, MN native leads the AHL in playoff +/- and has picked up seven of his eight points in the last six games. Thang finished his rookie campaign as the team's third leading scoring with 41 points (14g-27a) and was tops on the squad with a +17 rating.
PLAYOFF HISTORY ¬Â¦
The Admirals and Aeros have squared off four times in the post-season, most recently in 2009 when Houston outlasted the Ads in seven games, winning the decisive contest on the Bradley Center ice. In 2006 Milwaukee swept the Aeros 4-0 on their way to the Calder Cup Finals, while in 2003 it was Houston who swept the Admirals, 3-0, as they captured the Calder Cup Championship. Their first post-season encounter was back in the 1998 when the Ads took out the Aeros 3-1 in the first round of the IHL playoffs.
OVER THE AIR AND ON THE WEB ¬Â¦
For the fourth consecutive season Sportsradio 1250 WSSP will serve as the Admirals flagship station with Aaron Sims calling all of the hard-hitting end-to-end action. In addition, the team has a one-hour hockey magazine dubbed "Milwaukee Admirals Center Ice" that airs every Monday from 6-7 pm on WSSP. Fans can watch all Admirals games, home and on the road, live on the internet via NeuLion. Simply go the Admirals website at milwaukeeadmirals.com and click on the AHL Live banner.
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